Lee Johnson admits Hibs boo boys are RIGHT as jeers deemed 'fair' with St Mirren loss sparking mental strength query

Lee Johnson questioned his Hibs players’ mental strength to cope with their Thursday-Sunday schedule - and said fans were right to boo them as they flopped to an opening day defeat to St Mirren.

Johnson stuck with the same side that beat Inter Escaldes 6-1 on Thursday but his troops were booed off at half-time and full-time. Sub Alex Greive headed home a dramatic 89th minute winner after Hibs duo Adam Le Fondre and Christian Doidge had cancelled out Mark O’Hara and Toyosi Olusanya’s early double for Saints.

But Johnson must pick his players up for Thursday’s Conference League third qualifying round clash with Luzern in Leith before travelling to face Motherwell on Sunday. And he said: “I’m super disappointed with the start. If we’re going to compete in all competitions we have got to be able to play Thursday/Sunday/Thursday/Sunday. I obviously named the same starting eleven, which is fair to be thrown at me, if you like.

“But I feel individually the boys have a responsibility to be at their best physically and mentally, with the help of us and all the expertise we have got. I don’t think it was a fitness thing because you saw us take over in the second half. It was more a mental strength to to be able to go again, when the focus had been recent if that makes sense.

“We made poor decisions. Technical decisions, tactical decisions. We are really dangerous when we get in behind and stretch teams. And yet it was 19 minutes for us to attempt our first ball over the top, and there was ample opportunity to do it as well. Sometimes even if you gain territory or turn the opposition you start to pose a threat and then you can go for the shorter option.

“It’s a quite clear part of our gameplan and when we do it well we’re very good